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More than 34,000 Illinoisans have lost their right to own a gun. Nearly 80% may still be armed.

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Elderberry:
Chicago Tribune by Annie Sweeney, Stacy St. Clair, Cecilia Reyes and Sarah Freishtat 5/23/2019

As many as 30,000 guns may still be in the possession of Illinois residents deemed too dangerous to have them, according to a Tribune investigation.

In an analysis of data released for the first time, the Tribune found the state has repeatedly failed to ensure that people surrender their weapons and gun permits after their Firearm Owner’s Identification cards are revoked, resulting in the breakdown of a system put in place to deter gun violence.

In all, nearly 27,000 Illinois residents over the past four years have not informed authorities what they did with their guns after state police stripped their licenses, according to the analysis. That means law enforcement has no idea whether 78% of revoked cardholders since 2015 still possess guns.

The uncertainty has created a public safety risk that has been compounded for decades by antiquated policies and limited law-enforcement resources.

Among those with dismal compliance rates are residents convicted of domestic violence or people who had their cards rescinded because of mental health concerns, the Tribune analysis shows. About 3 out of 4 such revokees failed to tell the state where their weapons are, despite making a combined 5,000 serious inquiries about purchasing guns before the revocation.

The broken system was exposed in February, when a disgruntled employee opened fire at the Henry Pratt Co. warehouse in Aurora, killing five co-workers and wounding five officers before dying in a shootout with police. The gunman, a convicted felon named Gary Martin, had his FOID card revoked in 2014 but was never forced to relinquish the Smith & Wesson handgun he used in the shooting.

The Tribune’s analysis of closely held Illinois State Police data — including how often each rescinded cardholder had made a serious inquiry about purchasing a gun — shows that the failure by state and local authorities to follow up on the revocations and account for firearms is widespread and happening in every county in Illinois.

“I will say the depth and breadth of the problem did take me back just a bit,” said acting Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly, who has made revocation compliance a top priority since taking office earlier this year. “The only way we are going to be able to take a bite out of this problem is just laying it all out there: the good, the bad and the ugly.”

According to the data released under an open records request, more than 34,000 people had their FOID cards revoked between 2015 and 2019 alone.

More than half kept their cards despite orders to relinquish them, meaning they could still buy ammunition with the card even though it could not be used to purchase a new weapon from a licensed dealer.

Before the Tribune finished its analysis, gun rights advocates predicted it would be a waste of time, insisting most people had their cards revoked simply because they moved out of state. In reality, less than 4% — or 1,332 of 34,221— lost their FOIDs for that reason.

Among other findings in the Tribune’s investigation:

• Domestic violence-related infractions are the most common reason for a resident’s card to be revoked, followed by mental health concerns and felony convictions.

• The state rescinded 10,527 FOID cards for domestic violence-related reasons, including battery convictions and orders of protection. Of those former cardholders, 81% have not accounted for any guns.

• The state revoked 10,067 FOID cards for mental health concerns, including voluntary and non-voluntary hospitalizations. The whereabouts of their firearms are unknown in nearly 3 of 4 cases.

More: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-illinois-guns-foid-cards-revoked-20190520-story.html

Wingnut:
In the real Illinois that I grew up in, which is far far away from Chicago and crocked Cook county, there  are  citizens that are armed to the teeth and will not give up their guns.  Just sayin.  Gov. Patsy Patazki ....can suck it.

Sighlass:
None of the government's business what happened to those guns. If asked, I would just say I lost mine in the woods, never could find it.

Cyber Liberty:
This will be news to the friendly folks who call us "Keyboard Commandos" who will simply hand over our weapons when the government demands them.

The people will not comply.  Screw you, grabbers.

Bill Cipher:

--- Quote from: Cyber Liberty on May 26, 2019, 02:40:22 am ---This will be news to the friendly folks who call us "Keyboard Commandos" who will simply hand over our weapons when the government demands them.

The people will not comply.  Screw you, grabbers.

--- End quote ---

Such a grown-up post for an admin.  Keep up the good work.

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